Cup dispenser



Dec. 30, 1941.

J. D. REIFSNYDER ET AL CUP DISPENSER Filed Jan. 30, 1940 INVENTOR JAMES D. EEIFSIVYDER ALBEET E M/LLEE M EYs ATTOR Patented Dec. 30, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CUP DISPENSER James D. Reifsnyder and Albert F. Miller,- Flushing, N. Y., assignors to Lily-Tulip Cup Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Dela.-

ware

Application January 30, 1940, Serial No. 316,294 (c1. 312 44) 3 Claims.

, and without deforming the cups, or requiring repeated actuation to deliver a single cup. Yet such positive operation is not only desirable to avoid inconvenience to the user and wastage of cups, but is particularly important where the apparatus is to be used for example, in connection with automatic beverage dispensing machines such as coin controlled equipment, so that i there will be no danger that the fluid will be spilled or poured to waste due to the jamming of the cups in the dispenser or upon the failure to promptly deliver a cup in proper position to receive the beverage.

The present invention serves to overcome the above indicated difliculties and provides a dependable and positively operating mechanism which is reliable in operation over long periods of use without necessitating repairs or adjustments.

Various further and more specific objects, features and advantages will clearly appear from the detailed description given below, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification and illustrate by way of example a preferred form of the invention. The invention consists in such novel features, arrangements and combinations of parts as may be shown and described in connection with the apparatus herein disclosed.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a preferred form of device embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional viewtaken substantially along the line 2-4 of Fig. 1 and showing the cup dispensing parts in normal position for supporting a stack of cups at times intervening between dispensing operations;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 2, but with the upper casing parts removed and showing the cup dispensing elements in positions as oocupied during the separation of a cup from the stack;

Figs. 4 and 5 are developed views of certain cam elements of the device;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of said cam elements, and g Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line"|| of Fig. 2.

Referring to'the drawing more specifically, a stack of nested cups to be dispensed is indicated at In. As indicated, such cups may be stacked in the customary upright position and more or less firmly nested so that the cup flanges as at H of succeeding cups are adjacent but usually spaced apart somewhat. While but four of the nested cups are indicated, it will be understood that usually the contents of an entire carton comprising a stack of I00 or more cups, are

initially inserted in the device, the stack being normally covered, for example, by a glass tube l2 closed, at its upper end and being readily removable and replaceable vertically in a flanged retaining member as at l3 to permit insertion of a fresh stack of cups whenever needed. The cups as dispensed from the device are allowed to drop out one by one through a bottom outlet l4, from which each cup may be received either on a suitable supporting hook of known form convenient for the user, or the cups may be received in a suitable supporting structure forming a part of automatic dispensing apparatus.

A plurality of cam members as at H: are provided at spaced points around the periphery of the lowermost cup of the stack for normally supporting the stack and for individually separating the lowermost cup during the dispensing operation. Each of these cam members as shown may be rotatably mounted on verticaly extending shafts as at It, such shafts each having lower bearings as at H fitted with suitable bearing bushings as at H, and upper bearings as at 3 similarly provided with suitable bushings. The cams may be removably secured to these shafts at their proper angular positionsas by set screws as at IS. The lower portions of the shafts l6 may be integrally formed with operating pinion gears as at 20 all of which gears may be adapted to engage a single ring gear as at 2| encircling the pinions and rotatably mounted within a lower casing portion 22. The ring gear 2| in turn may be operated by a lever as at 23 extending to the exterior of the device through a suitable slot 24 formed in the side wall of the casing portion 22. Thus by oscillatcam members I5 will be oscillated arcuately about the axis of the shafts I6 respectively.

The construction of the cam members I5 which embody important features of the invention, will now be described in detail. Each of these members may be formed with a protuberance or lug as at 25 for extending beneath the flange of the lowermost cup of the stack for normally supporting the stack at times intervening between dispensing operations. These lugs should preferably extend radially inwardly of the stack of cups so as to subtsantially contact the cup walls to firmly hold the stack in position, the upper surfaces of the lugs having sufficient area to form a secure support for the cup flange. Also each of these lugs as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 6 should preferably extend arcuately around the periphery of the cam member for a considerable distance so that the stack of cups will be securely supported even after the cam members have moved through a substantial angle from their normal positions when at rest. Inasmuch as a full stack of cups has some substantial weight and may be thrust into the device with considerable force when the user is refilling th dispenser, it is important to support the stack in such manner that the rim or flange of the lowermost cup will not become deformed or torn at any time and thus cause the device to fail to invariably dispense the cups individually. Inasmuch as the supporting area of each of the lugs 25 is necessarily quite limited, these purposes are achieved with the present invention by using a considerable number of the rotatable cam members, for example six or more as shown, so that the supporting members will be spaced apart around the cup flange only by 60 or less.

As the device is operated, just as the supporting lugs 25 are about to release the cup flange, cam surfaces as at 26 on each cam member will enter the space between the flanges of the two lowermost cups for separating the same and positively ejecting the lower cup. As shown in Figs. 4 and 6, these cam portions may be wedge-shaped, the forward or entering portion 21 being above and adjacent the releasing portion of the lug 25. It will be noted that the upper active surfaces of the cam portion 26 are horizontal and flat. Thus when the flange of the lower cup is released from the supporting lugs 25, the flange of the next to the lowermost cup will rest upon these flat surfaces, which will thereafter support the remaining stack of cups in fixed position during the remainder of the dispensing operation and without any tendency to crowd the stack upwardly and thereby deforming or crushing the cup rims due to the weight of the stack. In devices of this general type heretofore proposed, the upper surfaces of the cam members were positioned at a substantial angle to the horizontal, with the result that as the cam portion became wedged between two cup flanges, there was a tendency for the next to the lowermost flange to either become crushed or else the whole stack of cups would have to be raised. If there were a large number of cups in the stack, their weight would give the stack sufficient inertia so that upon rapid operation of the device the cam portions would crush or deform the cup rims instead of raising the stack, unless the rims were made relatively rigid. And with the rim of the lowermost cup thus deformed, it would not be supported in the proper position for dependable operation of the dispenser during succeedof the device a finished appearance.

ing actuations. However, with the cam construction here shown, these difficulties are fully avoided.

After the supporting lugs 25 have been released the lowermost cup and the cam portions 26 have positively separated the lowermost cup from the next succeeding cup, the lower cup is then of course free to fall from the outlet I 4. Thereupon a reverse movement of the operating member 23 will restore the cam members to their original positions and the lower cup flange will fall from the level of the cam surfaces 28, on to the supporting lugs 25 and the device is ready for the next actuation.

In addition to the lower casing portion 22, the mechanism may be housed within an upper casing portion 30 which carries the bearings I8 and also serves as a support for the annular member I3 above referred to and which retains the glass tube I2. The casing portions 22 and 30 may as shown be preferably separable along a horizontal plane passing through the region at the lower surfaces of the cam members I5. Thus the gearing and lower bearings of the shafts I6 may be wholly contained within the lower casing portion and the cam members may be applied at their proper angular positions while still exposed for ready access before the upper casing portion 30 is applied. Also this construction permits the relatively expensive gear mechanism to be standardized for use alternatively with the various cam members and upper structural parts adapted for somewhat different sizes of cups.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 7, the upper and lower casing portions 22 and 30 may be removably secured together as by screws 38 surrounded by spacing bushings as at 39.

As shown, the member I3 may be removably secured to the upper casing portion 30 as by screws 3| passing through a flange 32 and into the upper casing portion 30. The flange 32 in addition to serving as a retaining means for the member I3 also serves to cover and protect the upper bearings I 8 and gives the upper portion The member I3 may also be formed with a depending annular flange as at 33, somewhat constricted toward its lower edge for properly directing the stack of cups into the mechanism.

The bottom outlet ,portion I4, similar to the member I3 may be'removably secured as by screws 34 in flange 35 to the lower casing portion 22, the flange 35 serving to cover the lower ends of the bearings II. It will be noted also that the member I4 as shown extends upwardly as at 36 as far as the cam members, and thus guides the cups so that they will fall directly vertically from the cam members. If the lower casing portion 22 and earing are to be used for different sizes of cups, it will be merely necessary to change the cam members and the members I3 and I 4 in order to have all parts which contact with cups of proper size. The inside walls of the member I4 may be formed with relatively shallow vertical grooves as at 31 to eliminate any tendency for the formation of a vacuum in the space above the lowermost cup as it drops out of the device.

While the invention has been described in detail with respect to particular preferred examples. it will be understood by those skiled in the art after understanding the invention that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and it is intended therefore in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for dispensing flanged paper cups or the like, one at a time, from a stack thereof, comprising a plurality of rotatable cam members mounted on vertical shafts at spaced points around the periphery of the lower portion of the stack, each of said members having means for supporting the stack while separating the lowermost cup, an annular casing for said members, said casing including a separable upper portion and a lower portion, bearing means for said shafts provided in the said upper and lower casing portions, pinions carried on said shafts and a cooperating ring gear within said lower casing portion for simultaneously rotating said cam members, an annular cup outlet member detachably secured to the bottom of said lower casing portion, and an annular frame detachably secured to the top of said upper casing portion for receiving covering means for the stack of cups.

2. Apparatus for dispensing paper cups or the like from a stack thereof, comprising a plurality of rotatable cam members at spaced points around the periphery of the lower portion of the stack, each of said members having means for supporting the stack and for separating the lowermost cup therefrom, gear mechanism including pinions for simultaneously rotating said members, casing structure for supporting and housing the stack and the dispensing mechanism, said casing structure comprising separable portions including first an annular casing portion for said gear mechanism and formed with bearings for said pinions, a second and generally complementary superimposed casing portion for said cam members and including bearings therefor, the first of said casing portions carrying a separable depending annular outlet portion, and the second of said casing portions carrying a superimposed separable annular inlet portion for guiding the cups into the mechanism, said last two named portions respectively having cup guiding annular flanges extending upwardly and downwardly respectively to points adjacent said cam members.

3. Apparatus for dispensing flanged paper cups or the like, one at a time, from a stack thereof, comprising a plurality of rotatable cam members mounted on vertical shafts at spaced points around the periphery of the lower portion of the stack, each of said members having means for supporting the stack while separating the lowermost cup, an annular casing for said members, said casing including a separable upper portion and a lower portion, said upper casing portion having an upper wall provided with journals for receiving upper ends of said shafts and having a dependent peripheral side wall, said lower casing portion having a lower wall provided with journals for receiving lower ends of said shafts and having a peripheral side wall in cooperative engagement with said upper side wall, pinion gears on said shafts and a ring gear in driving engagement therewith for imparting simultaneous rotary movement to said cams, said ring gear being positioned within said lower casing portion and having operating means secured thereto and passing outwardly through an opening provided in the lower casing portion wall.

JAMES D. REIFSNYDER. ALBERT F. MILLER.

CERTIFICATE 6F CORRECTION. Patent No. 2368,1421. December 50, 19in. JAMES D. REIFSNYDER, ET AL.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 1, second column, line 514., for "vertically" read "vertically"; page 2, second column, line 14., strike out "been"; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the some may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 10th day of February, A. D. 19L 2.

Henry Van Arsdale, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

